Chapter 81: Ye Tong Leaves

Just as Aofei and the others were leaving, Li Hao went to pay the bill, and with a ding from the SkyNet... he really shouldn't come here again in the future.

Ma Long, Ye Tong, and the others rushed over in a grand procession, and Sheng Man and Tan Ziyuan hadn't left either.

Ma Long was displeased, "Hao Ge, this isn't right of you. How could you not tell me about such an important matter? You should have at least let me play the host!"

Ma Laoshi was feeling sentimental; he had missed such a golden opportunity to show off. If he had only kept a group photo and edited a little caption, he could have bragged about it for a lifetime. These people were big shots now, and they would be even bigger shots in the future.

"Li Hao, what did they come to find you for? They aren't trying to poach you, are they!" Ye Tong stared at Li Hao and asked; she didn't think this bunch had any good intentions.

"No, they were just old friends passing by to catch up, and they've all left now." Li Hao shrugged helplessly.

"Hmph, 'passing by,' sure. I heard that kid Kevin came too, right? That weirdo, you'd best stay away from him, he's into all sorts of messy things." Ye Tong said.

"Who is Kevin?" Ma Long asked curiously.

Li Hao shrugged helplessly; this group was truly too gossipy. "Just a kid addicted to the internet."

"Kevin Tenick, formerly the top student in the non-combat department of the Tianqi Youth Class. A madman who possesses multiple dominant Golden Gene traits. Although I don't know what he's doing now, he is definitely a dangerous individual."

The group looked at each other in dismay. What kind of people were these? Six Dragons, Fifteen Generals, and even dangerous individuals—were they trying to overthrow the government? And yet, all these people had come specifically for Li Hao. What shocking things had he done back in the day? Ma Laoshi felt like a cat was scratching at his heart, but it seemed like no one wanted to bring up that past; perhaps some kind of accident had occurred.

"Li Hao, in any case, you are not allowed to transfer. If you leave, I'm leaving too!" Ye Tong said with ironclad certainty. Once it reached this point, everyone understood: Ye Tong had come specifically for Li Hao.

"I'm not transferring, Miss. I'm doing just fine in Tianjing. Besides, we agreed to form a team together with the brothers; how can the Team Leader just quit? Right, Class Monitor?" Li Hao looked at the worried group and said, needing to give everyone some peace of mind.

"Team Leader, Team Leader, is that Yan Peng very strong? How do I look? My nickname is the Tianjing Yan Peng, and we play the same position." Huo Ying said happily.

"Other than the position, there is nothing the same about you and him." Ye Tong couldn't help but say.

The group was noisy and boisterous. Ma Long wanted to treat everyone to a late-night snack, and they marched off to the area outside the school. Along the way, Ma Long fired questions like a machine gun, and Li Hao repeatedly insisted that it was really nothing—they just had a good relationship back when they were in the Youth Class.

But who would believe that? The others might be one thing, but what kind of relationship could be good enough to make Blood Rose Orphi make a trip in person?

But since Li Hao wouldn't say, the others had no way of knowing. Only Ye Tong knew that this group must have come to snatch him away. Even Orphi had come; it seemed she had underestimated his strength. She had been a candidate back when she was at Tianqi and hadn't participated directly, so she needed to find an opportunity to test him. During the meal, Ma Long and Sheng Man had originally wanted to arrange for Tan Ziyuan to sit next to Li Hao, but Miss Ye Tong sat down right there, and on the other side was Zhou Naiyi. This...

While things were heating up here, the situation for the First Team was not good. News of the Zhao Zhihan incident quickly reached Gao Yunfeng's ears. On one hand, he was shocked by Li Hao's situation, and on the other, he wanted to kick Zhao Zhihan to death. This idiot—among the S Tournament participants of the USE, the representatives of each military academy saw each other constantly. Even if their ranking had dropped this year, the Tianjing brand was still prestigious, and everyone usually gave them some face. Yet this moron had actually gone to provoke the Six Dragons. Was he crazy? Others wouldn't remember Zhao Zhihan, but they would hold the account against him, Gao Yunfeng.

Gao Yunfeng felt he needed to re-evaluate Li Hao and his Second Team, and at the same time, he had long been looking for an excuse to deal with this trouble.

Early Monday morning, Li Hao was called to the principal's office. Upon entering, he happened to run into Gao Yunfeng, who was just leaving. Gao Yunfeng gave Li Hao a deep look.

"Reporting!"

"Come in."

"Hello, Principal." Li Hao gave a salute. Long Danni's complexion looked good; it didn't seem like bad news.

Long Danni looked Li Hao over, a hint of a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. "Wednesday is your Campus Tournament match against Gao Yunfeng. Tianjing Martial Arts only needs one team; the loser disbands. I think I made myself very clear."

"Yes, Principal, I will give it my all!"

Long Danni nodded. "I heard you had a conflict with Zhao Zhihan yesterday?"

"Reporting to the Principal, no. We're both young people; a slight disagreement is normal." Li Hao said solemnly, head held high and chest out.

Long Danni smiled slightly; she had thought Li Hao would take the opportunity to step on him. "You handled it well. Zhao Zhihan has already been expelled from the First Team. You have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news; which would you like to hear first?"

"Principal, news is just news; there is no good or bad." Li Hao said.

Long Danni looked at Li Hao and smiled slightly. "Your eligibility for the S Tournament has been resolved; whether you can go depends on your strength. The other matter is more troublesome: due to reasons at Ye Tong's home, she is transferring schools next week. She cannot participate in Wednesday's Campus Tournament. Are you still confident?"

It was a demand from the Nangong Family. Ye Tong had originally applied to Tianjing in secret, and the Nangong Family had been communicating about it during this time. Long Danni truly wanted to keep Ye Tong; it was very important for the restoration of Tianjing Martial Arts' glory, both for her personal strength and the Nangong Family behind her. It was just... they didn't think much of Tianjing Martial Arts. She had dragged it out for a while, but she couldn't drag it out any longer. This was also a blow to Long Danni's revival plan.

"Does Ye Tong know?" Li Hao asked.

"She doesn't know yet. The Nangong Family will send someone to handle the procedures, and the outcome cannot be changed." Long Danni didn't want to explain too much. Personal wishes were not important at this time; even she couldn't force her to stay. She had done everything she could.

Li Hao nodded, feeling a bit of a headache. This girl was likely going to turn the world upside down again.

Seeing Li Hao frown, Long Danni said, "Does the Campus Tournament need to be postponed?"

Li Hao was slightly stunned. "Ah, no need."

Long Danni tapped the table. "Li Hao, did I not make myself clear? The Campus Tournament is decided in a single battle. Without Ye Tong, you only have Wuzang, Zhou Naiyi, and your own combat power. If you lose, you will disband. As long as Gao Yunfeng is still there, you will lose your chance to participate in the S Tournament. I know your strength, but this is a team battle."

Long Danni also had a headache. Although it was a bit rushed, Zhou Naiyi, Ye Tong, and Wuzang, plus a Li Hao, were a crushing force of talent. The First Team, aside from Gao Yunfeng, was truly rotten. Zhao Zhihan was not an isolated case, which was why she wanted to pull the firewood from under the cauldron. Even if the results were poor in the first year, it didn't matter. But now, missing a Ye Tong, where would she find a replacement?

"Oh, Principal, I know. You want to break and then establish. Whether Ye Tong is there or not doesn't matter. Our team's talent is all very good. I'm just worried that this little girl will make a scene and refuse to leave." Li Hao shrugged helplessly. He couldn't hit her or scold her, and he had a real headache.

The corners of Long Danni's mouth twitched. "You don't need to worry about that. I might as well tell you: you must win next Wednesday, otherwise you'll be on my blacklist!"

"Yes, Principal, I guarantee I will complete the mission!"

Watching Li Hao leave, Long Danni didn't know if she had been a bit too impatient, but whether it was him or Tianjing Martial Arts, they had to keep up with the international pace.

As for the fact that Orphi and the others had come, she didn't really care. That incident back then was essentially a group of people fighting, and Li Hao took the blame alone. It was normal to make a few friends, but friends were friends; they couldn't fight team matches for him.

In her mind was the image of Li Hao piloting the Overlord Fighter. Long Danni's eye for talent was naturally beyond doubt. It wasn't just a few movements, but the way those effortless details had made a huge impact on her. His strength wouldn't be bad. Let's see what he can display in the official competition.

All she could do was point the way; how far they could go still depended on Li Hao and the others themselves.

The Nangong Family was also deliberately timing this to prevent Ye Tong from officially representing Tianjing, because Ye Tong was going to the North Caro Tournament and they didn't want her to have the label of another academy. Although they were polite in their words, they actually didn't think much of Tianjing Martial Arts.

As an S-level academy in the Solar System Alliance, the North Caro Tournament was a behemoth, a military academy possessing top experts like Chao Qinglong. She was stretched thin for talent here, while they had more than they could use.

Team training ground.

Li Hao gathered everyone together. Ye Tong wasn't there; she had likely been called by the principal. The group that received the news was a bit dumbfounded. How could Ye Tong not be there?

"Team Leader, Ye Tong is very fierce; how can she leave?" Huo Ying was surprisingly the most anxious one. After playing in the internal team matches, Huo Ying liked this team more and more. He wasn't afraid of strong opponents; he preferred strong teammates. Being in the current team was truly exciting.

"Ye Tong is going to the North Caro Tournament; this was decided by her family, and she has no choice. Wednesday is the battle that decides our fate. Now, let's assign tasks." Li Hao said, not saying much more. The importance of this battle was self-evident. "What's wrong? Feeling the pressure already?"

"Reporting, Team Leader, no pressure!" Huo Ying shouted.

"I wasn't asking you." Li Hao found Huo Ying's natural, overflowing confidence both worry-free and exhausting.

"I'll take the solo match." Zhou Naiyi said. Originally, it had been arranged for Li Hao, Ye Tong, and Wuzang.

"Don't look so glum. Learn from Huo Ying. It's just a school team. If we can't even take this step, how can we talk about dominating Earth or conquering the Solar System?" Li Hao clapped his hands and said.

The group looked at him like he was a fool. Even Huo Ying couldn't help but grin and say awkwardly, "Team Leader, bragging isn't good."

The group couldn't help but laugh, but Li Hao didn't laugh. "I'm not joking with you. If we weren't participating, that would be one thing, but since we are, we're going for the championship."

This was indeed Li Hao's thought. Given his situation, he could be low-key, but if he was going to start something, then failure was not an option. Who didn't have a bit of a temper? Of course, compared to arguing, he preferred to let the facts speak for themselves.

As for Xilian, how should he put it, he actually hoped the other party would stir up some trouble; this person was also the only opponent who could let him break his seals and release his power completely, as holding back for so long was quite uncomfortable.

"Hao Ge is right, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier!" Wuzang nodded; he didn't care, as he had always focused on training, and such a personality had never feared any opponent.

Zhou Naiyi was meticulous and overthought things... Zuo Xiaotang expressed nothing; this was playing a bit too big, and he couldn't quite handle it.

The training over these past few days had actually been targeted; the situation of Team One was no secret, and Zhou Naiyi herself understood it very well, so the team battles were all simulated with the help of the Cougar side; with Ye Tong there, they really didn't fear the opponent's changes, and now they just needed to go all out.

Zhou Naiyi took a deep breath; if she couldn't even pass the first stage, wouldn't her dream be a joke?

Good luck~~~~~~

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